A burly man, probably in his 50s, got out of his car and was about to cross the road to reach his office when a lean and hungry-looking man appeared on the scene.
He lost no time in holding the man by his necktie and beat him to a jelly. As nobody came to his rescue, the attacker fled. The incident took place in the heart of the city many moons ago. But I still remember vividly the blue tie and the wiry attacker.
A necktie, or simply a tie, is a long piece of cloth, worn usually by men for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the short collar and knotted at the throat.
The necktie that spread from Europe to other countries can be traced back to Croatian mercenaries serving in France during the 30-year war (1618-1648).
One day a courtier turned up at the court of the boy-king Louis XIV of France. The courtier was wearing a white silk kerchief wound around the neck and knotted in front. The king was smitten by the quaint twist of finery. He immediately declared that it was the badge of nobility. Thereafter, Versailles gentry started wearing it regularly. However, the lace cravat took a long time to arrange.
The International Necktie Day is celebrated on October 18 in Croatia and various cities in the world.
During the French Revolution many people were put to the guillotine while Republicans dressed in flowing neckerchiefs were watching the gruesome scene. In England, George Bryan Brummelli, alias Beau Brummell, became the arbiter of high fashion.
It is said that he spent the morning winding the neck cloth in voluminous folds around his neck with the help of his valet. As a result, he could not turn or lower his head. He is credited with the practice of starching the neck cloth. However, Brummelli spent his last days in a madhouse.
Cravat
The modern tie descended from the cravat is usually a long piece of cloth. In some countries men wear neckties as part of their office attire. Some people wear ties only on formal occasions. Both men and women wear ties as part of their uniforms. Schoolboys and girls wear ties with their uniforms. With the Industrial Revolution more people in Europe started wearing ties. After World War II men began to wear neckties which were somewhat shorter than they are today
In the early part of the 1940s ties became wider. This was known as the ‘bold look’ men were trying to display. In the next decade the bold look gave way to the ‘Mister T’ look. In the 1960s there was an influx of pop art influenced designs on ties. In the 1980s ties became narrower, but in the 1990s they became wide again.
In the United States and many Commonwealth countries neckties are an essential component of the school uniform. In some countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong neckties are popular among office workers. In Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka, neckties are worn on special occasions. In the 1990s, however, neckties fell out of favour with many techno-based companies as they insisted on casual dress requirements. Even in developed Western countries a phenomenon known as “Casual Friday” has come into being.
Experts have shown that neckties present some risks to the wearer. For instance, neckties can get entangled in machines quite easily. As most people do not wash neckties regularly, they can carry deadly viruses. A 2018 study published in “Neuroradiology” claimed that the Windsor knot tightened to the point of slight discomfort could interrupt the blood flow to the brain.
Tie-knot
Although most men wear ties, they are not very good at making the tie-knot. However, some women are experts in this respect. According to a female colleague there are 32 ways of tying the cravat. A fashion magazine claimed that there are 54 ways of tying a necktie. Anyway, standard neckties made their appearance in the 1850s. With the Industrial Revolution factories started producing neckties on a large scale. The bow tie was introduced around the 1880s.
Western colonialism is responsible for introducing the necktie to Asian cultures. Even after the invaders left their colonies, Asians found it difficult to give up the necktie. In some Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia the open collar and safari suit are becoming fashionable. Some of them even wear batik shirts. However, visitors to Parliament have to wear the national dress or the accursed necktie. Even in our own Parliament very few members wear neckties. Most of them wear the national dress in sparkling white.
Former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike used to wear the national dress on all occasions. However, one day he attended a dog show wearing the full suit with a necktie. When an inquisitive journalist asked him why he switched over to the European dress, he quipped, Baluvedavalataenna one baluandumin (One should come to a dog show wearing the accursed dog suit).
National feelings
With the blossoming of national feelings more and more people seem to be giving up the necktie. Schoolchildren will continue to wear ties as part of their uniforms, but most office workers do not wear ties today. Meanwhile, the Government is trying to promote batik shirts, sarongs and saris. State Minister DayasiriJayasekara has started wearing batik shirts. He also wants female office workers to wear batik saris once a week. Although his proposal is good, batik saris are very expensive. Anyway, the day is not far when colourful and exquisitely patterned batik shirts and saris will become the hallmark of haute couture for Sri Lankan men and women.
Despite the sensible trend towards native styles, some top executives in Asian countries still prefer to wear neckties. Japan is notable for its craze for necktie extravagance. They wear the dark business suit and necktie for all seasons. Even in Hong Kong and Singapore the tie-wearing habit still persists. However, Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew wore the tie very rarely.
Although we try to give up colonial strappings, some people still look up to men wearing ties with some respect. If you walk into a government office wearing a tie, sometimes you get preferential treatment. Although we wear a tie today in deference to an outmoded political system, some of us have a keen desire to identify ourselves with the international elite. In the private sector the norm seems to be that bosses should wear ties.
After years of being stifled and choked by the necktie, more and more Asian men wish to hang the noose. What is more, the necktie itches, prickles and chafes.
